Of Titans and Gemstones
by Darkmatt3r97
Summary: A time-bending brawler with a penchant for cybernetics, an introspective combat medic with connections to the White Fang, an orphan who can control Dust, and a berserker heiress to a mercenary company. These four individuals will join together as team KRNS (Kronos) and fight evil alongside teams RWBY and JNPR, with many other shenanigans happening along the way! My first Fanfic.
1. Chapter 1: Shattered Time

**A/N:**

**Hey Guys, this is my first fanfic, called Of Titans and Gemstones. It will be about another team at Beacon called KRNS (Kronos). It will mostly follow the Canon story line but has a few deviations here and there.**

**So to kick things off, the first four chapters will play out somewhat like the original trailers for RWBY, each ****displaying the fighting styles and a bit of the personality of each character.**

**but enough of my chatter, let's get into the story of Team K.R.N.S.**

**Disclaimer****:**

**I do not own RWBY, that is the property of Rooster Teeth**

**Tho OC's in this story are mine and anyone may use them if S/he asks me**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Shattered Time**

**Location: Beacon, Headmaster's office**

Ozpin sat at his desk, reviewing this year's applications to Beacon. The folder currently in front of him was the application of a young man named Konor Cog. Mr. Cog had an impressive physique, standing five-eleven with a thin but well muscled body, his face was forever creased with a small smirk just below to piercing green eyes and a head of short, spiky black hair. The 17 year old had passed all of his courses at Signal with flying colors, excelling especially in weapons engineering and hand-to-hand combat. In the latter, he was second only to Yang Xiao-Long, who was, consequently, the next applicant in the stack. In the former, he was top of his class with no challengers to the title in sight. It was easy to see why by looking only at the weapon he used. his entire right arm was encased in a deep green steel exoskeleton that featured actuators powered by white dust to enhance to power of every swing. The sheer number of calculations required to make the weapon work without harming its user were absurd. With this marvel, and it truly was a marvel, Ozpin believed that the man could probably shatter the armor on a deathstalker with a well-aimed strike. Mr. Cog looked very good in his application, but that was paper, and Ozpin knew that paper can only tell so much. So, he pulled up a video of one of Konor's most recent bouts in Signal to see whether the man could really fight as well as the paper said…

* * *

**Location: Signal, sparring grounds, two days ago**

Well, this was it. Konor's final match at Signal before hopefully being admitted into Beacon. And what a match it would be. He was up against his close friend Yang, who had beaten him in almost every match he fought against her, before he had crafted Emerald Steel, of course. Since then they had traded the place of best hand-to-hand combatant in Signal almost every match. They both knew that they had to give it their all on this fight and really impress Ozpin if they were to get into Beacon. So, as they took their sides of the field, it was with the understanding that the other would hold nothing back. The combatants took their stances and the match began.

Yang, in her usual style, fired off Ember Celica to increase her speed as she charged Konor. Konor hunkered down in his defensive Hades stance, the knuckles of Emerald Steel glowing red from the burn dust he pumped into them. When Yang reached him though, he did not deflect her strike, instead meeting it with one of his own. The speed granted by his weapon allowed him to slip past Yangs nonexistent guard, hitting her in the gut. However, the blow didn't stop Yang, merely slowing her down. Her fist connected with him, and combined with a shot from Ember Celica, staggered him somewhat. Yang smirked until she saw the scoreboard, Konor's aura had only dropped a quarter from her blow, hers had dropped a third from his gutbuster. Konor, pleased with his tactical sacrifice, soon became serious again when the temperature in the room raised slightly, a sure sign of his opponent getting angry. He had to get on the offensive, and fast. His stance switched to the more attack oriented Poseidon stance, the knuckles of his weapon shimmering blue with water dust to combat the fire that was Yang Xiao-Long. He then channeled a small amount of his aura into his semblance, and time began to slow. Finally, he made his move.

Konor's sudden charge surprised Yang, but only for a second as she realised the newfound speed was his semblance activating. She put up her guard and prepared for the flurry of strikes she knew Konor would send her way. She blocked most of them, but Konor, would often get a strike in, slowly chipping away at her aura until she was in the yellow. Konor saw this and decided to try and finish the fight with style. He spun around behind Yang, grabbed her in a headlock with his left arm, and deployed a white dust charge from his right to send them both airborne. When they reached the top of their arc, Yang fired a shot from her weapon to ram an elbow into Konor's gut, hard. He let go of her and figured it was as good a time as any to end it. as the two began to trade blows, the blue shimmer on Emerald Steel's knuckles began to pulse white. after about 10 seconds, it was ready and Konor unleashed the pent up energy in his weapon firing off a blast of high pressure water to both cool Yang off and slam her back to remnant. He landed next to the crater made by Yang's impact and brushed off of his right shoulder, suddenly noticing to yellow objects. The first was Yang's aura bar, this disappointed him, as he wanted to finish on his spectacular hydro-cannon slam. The second was a small strand, maybe an inch in length, of golden hair, and he has black hair.

"Oh shit," he says in a gruff voice as his eyes widen, "this is how I die."...

"YOU ASSHOLE!" comes Yang's cry as she rockets out of the hole, eyes crimson and hair ablaze. This where he loses, unless he does something completely insane, something he has never managed to do before. He gathers his aura drawing it deep within himself to gain the strength necessary for what he has to do.

"NO ONE, AND I MEAN NO ONE, TOUCHES. MY. HAIR!" Yang screams as she blasts him with Ember Celica. He knows that if Yang hits him with a single punch in this state, he won't wake up till next week. he dodges her blows to the best of his abilities, trying to slow her with blasts from the knuckles of Emerald Steel, which now crackle with yellow lightning dust. His eyes widen as one of Yang's fists nearly hits him, and he knows it's either now or never. With a whisper of "Sorry, Yang..." he releases his aura.

Time itself grinds to a halt, with Konor the only one moving. He fires blast after blast of electrified steam into the air, all of them stopping in place after they leave his fist. He then sprints over to Yang, hoping his calculations were correct and primes a white dust charge. He slams it into Yang with an uppercut just as time resumes, the thunderous blast sending both of them flying. Konor is only thrown back a few feet and lands with a grunt. Yang, on the other hand goes flying into Konor's superheated lightning cloud, which then, with the added heat from the inferno of Yang, condenses into plasma and slams into the ground. Konor looks at the scoreboard and a tired smile comes over his face. the board shows his aura as a red sliver, while Yang's bar is empty. He won. it was the hardest fight of his life, but damn he won. He gets up on shaky legs and walks over to the second crater of his creation to help Yang up. He reaches his hand down to help her out of the hole, and she grabs it with a fierce grin on her face.

"Damn Cog, that was a good fight, the best we've had, no doubt." Yang says, grin refusing to leave her face.

"It sure was Yang, it sure was."

"What was that move called, anyways? It was pretty badass."

"What makes you think it has a name?"

"Konor, all of you moves have names, and you know it."

"Well, I guess with all the lightning and thunder it caused, Zeus seems fitting."

"Alright, that's cool. I mean, Thor sounds like a better name but…"

…

"Well alright then keep your silly name, let's go find Ellie and Sam." She says gripping his shoulder with the strength of an Ursa and dragging him over to the sidelines...

* * *

**Location: Beacon, Headmaster's office, present time**

Ozpin watched the entire bout with interest, his eyebrows rising with surprise with Ms. Xiao-Long going Super Saiyan over a single strand of hair and rising even further with Mr. Cog's stoppage of time and subsequent destruction of his opponent. The young man had a mind sharper than Qrow's scythe, to be able to predict Ms. Xiao-Long's trajectory into the cloud and the heat necessary to turn it to plasma. He had just witnessed a fight between two titans, one of the mind and another of the body. The destruction caused was immense and yet the victory was so slim. Ozpin took a quick glance at Ms. Xiao-Long's application to ensure her academics were good enough, and upon seeing that they were immediately stamped his approval on both applications and put them into the accepted file. if these were only the first two applications he reviewed, then the next four years were sure to be interesting...

* * *

**A/N:**

**Well, That was a thing...**

**I hope you guys enjoyed reading the first chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please be sure to leave a review as I am new to this and any help would be greatly appreciated in making this story more enjoyable for everyone.**

**Sadly, it may be a while until the next chapter as I have finals coming up but I'll try to get it out as soon as I think it's ready.**

**Thanks to everyone for reading,**

**Darkmatt3r signing off.**

**P.S.: Konor's weapon data**

**Name: Emerald Steel**

**Class: D.O.C.E.(Dust-Operated Cybernetic Exoskeleton)**

**Description: A Gleaming exo-skeletal arm featuring thick green armor plating and White Dust Actuators to increase the speed and power of every strike**

**Extra functionality: Crystalline Dust emitters are attached to the knuckles of Emerald Steel, and can be used to release whatever Dust is stored in the arm. Currently, Konor uses Burn, Water, Electric, and Movement Dust in this manner, but that may change depending on the situation**

**Interesting notes: In order to prevent breaking his own arm, Konor has integrated Emerald Steel into his nervous system so that it moves perfectly in sync with the arm inside it. Now it is not merely an extension of himself, but a part of him.**

**Semblance: Sands of Time: Gives the user control of time itself allowing slowing of time with minimal training and advanced users are even known to be able to stop time itself for short periods. It is not known if reversal is possible, as no user has ever attempted it due to the potential consequences to the time stream.**


	2. Chapter 2: The Scorpio's Sting

**A/N:**

**Sorry about the long wait, but I had a little bit of a little nit of a rough time with finals. I got really stressed out and even when I finished I guess I was a little disheartened. but then the opening scene for volume two came out and now I'm back at it!**

**Still may be a bit of a wait after this chapter though, as the N of Team KRNS is still in development. mostly little things, but things nonetheless.**

**But you aren't here for my notes so here is the story!**

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own RWBY, That wonderful show is the property of Rooster Teeth**

**The OC's in this story are mine, and may be used by anyone who asks**

**I also do not own Borderlands, That badass game is the property of Gearbox and 2K**

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Scorpio's Sting**

**Location: Schnee company dust train, Forever Fall forest**

Rex was tired of this. The violence, the death, the loss. Ever since his father, Roland Scorpio, stepped down from the leadership of the White Fang, Rex has had nothing but violence, death, and loss. His father, assassinated by The Schnee Corporation shortly after his resignation, had become a martyr that the new leader, Adam Taurus, used to rally the Faunus to fight the oppression they faced. In the 5 years that followed, Rex had lost too many friends in raids, seen the fear in people's eyes when they saw Faunus these days, and was tired of it all. He became a combat medic to stop losing his friends, his semblance of energy transfer enabling him to give others the strength to pull through. But the fear was still there, and he was still helping that fear grow. Well he was tired of it, and he knew today would be his last in the organization his father created and Adam had corrupted. His job today was a simple one, raid a dust train alongside Adam and two other White Fang operatives, and get everyone out alive. As he sat on the cliff overlooking the tracks, he heard two words that made him steel himself for the ensuing battle.

"Let's go."

That was all Adam said, and Rex knew what he had to do. He put his father's beret over his brown wolf ears and pulled on his deep blue duster, readying a grenade as he did so. The grenades were his own design, and he was both proud and horrified of what he had made. the grenade used a white dust casing to accelerate itself to the point where gravity no longer affected it. After it flew like an arrow to it's target, the adhesive on the outside stuck it to whatever it touched. then the core did the rest. this particular bomb was a core of green corrosive dust to eat a hole in the side of the train with no explosives and no noise. Rex made the hole and the three White Fang operatives and their leader entered the train.

the Interior of the Dust storage car was dark, and surprisingly, seemed undefended. Rex pulled out his weapon, Scorpio's Sting, named in honor of his father. It was a black bat with a long handle and glowing green stripes on its broad head to indicate that it was loaded with corrosive dust to combat the metallic Schnee automatons. He walked to the door on one end of the car, and when Adam gave the signal, he swung at the door. He and Adam then proceeded to draw the attention of the automatons in the area, taking the heat so the other two operatives could offload the dust onto the bullhead that pulled up alongside the train. As much as Rex hated what the White Fang was doing, there was something to be said for a good fight. With a grin on his face, he got to work.

Rex moved fluidly through the groups of automatons, each swing of Scorpio's Sting splashing his target and anything nearby with acid. Anytime a droid got inside his defenses, he dropped a nade at his feet and jumped out of the way before the bot detonated. When he realized his weapon was nearing a quarter full, he switched of the valve releasing the dust and resorted to good old-fashioned smashing. This didn't slow him down too much, but he had to be more aggressive with his strikes to ensure the destruction of his opponents. This increase in aggression led to a slight lowering of his guard and gave the bots the opening they needed. One slipped through, bladed arm grazing off of the riot gear under his duster. He smashed it, but not before another could take a shot at him with its gun arm. Luckily for him, these Schnee automatons used energy weapons instead of conventional bullets, so his semblance allowed him to transfer the energy to his own reserves, giving him a little burst of strength to crush the nearby bots with his bat. Seeing that all the nearby opposition was vanquished, he decided to give Adam some covering fire. Rex despised the man, but if he let him die, the White Fang would never stop hunting him, which was the exact opposite outcome from what he was trying to accomplish. grabbing a recessed handle on the head of Scorpio's Sting, he activated its transformation. The handle lengthened, the end becoming a muzzle brake and the head became more box-like, the cylindrical dust chamber hanging below while a second grip appeared just behind the barrel. Scorpio's Sting in its HMG form now, Rex began to scythe through the droids near Adam, the corrosive coated rounds melting the metal carapaces of the droids, completely disabling many and crippling the rest so that Adam could easily finish them off.

When that group was finished, Adam looked over, a small smirk the only evidence of his approval. However, that smirk quickly faded and was replaced with a growl.

"Behind you!"

Rex turned around to witness a terrifying sight. Not one, but two Schnee spider droids stood behind him, weapons at the ready. He dove out of the way, flinging a yellow dust grenade in the general direction of the droids, hoping it would find its mark. It did, and the ensuing electric shock overloaded one of the droids, temporarily putting it out of action. The second droid fired a few rounds of its conventional weapons in his direction however. His Aura took the brunt of it and before the droid could do any more harm, a red ninjato struck it across the face. Adam wasn't far behind, grabbing Wilt as he flew by the droid and began to slice at it from all different angles with a speed Rex could never hope to achieve with his own weapon. The Droid now focused on Adam and readied its main cannon. Adam merely smirked as it fired, drawing Wilt perpendicular to the blast as it approached. The blood-red blade absorbed all of the destructive force of the blast and transferred it to Adam, his smile growing ever more sinister as he let out a low laugh, his mask and undershirt glowing with vile energy. A vile energy that was about to make that spider droid very, very dead. As the droid moved in to attack at close range since its ranged shots proved ineffective, Adam drew Wilt in a single, vertical slash. all that pent up energy was unleashed upon the unlucky droid turning it into a spray of wilted rose petals. Adam visibly sagged after the expenditure of energy, but the fight wasn't over yet. The second droid had recovered from its shock therapy and was now targeting the White Fang leader. but before it could attack, a spray of machine gun fire forced it to re-evaluate its position. The other two operatives had finished their jobs and were now standing in the open door of the bullhead, firing machine guns from their hips. While the droid was distracted, Rex ran over to Adam, transferring some of his energy into the tired White Fang leader.

"Sir, maybe you shouldn't open with that next time." Rex sarcastically stated

Adam smirked. "I knew I liked you for a reason. Let's get out of here."

"With all due respect, Sir," Rex replied, "that droid will shoot down the Bullhead unless someone either distracts it or takes it down."

"Rex, we don't have anyone we can leave behind to do that."

"I will, I can take it down"

"No."

"Sir, I know you think I'm important to the effort, but honestly, you are more important than I am. If I die, you can make another martyr out of me, I couldn't do the same for you."

"Alright," Adam sighed "You'll be remembered."

"Goodbye, Sir."

As Adam leapt into the bullhead, signalling the pilot to pull out while giving a subtle nod to Rex, who returned it. As the aircraft began to pull away, Rex charged the spider droid, drawing its fire away for the retreating White Fang. During his headlong charge, he gave himself a shot of adrenaline from his belt pouch and primed a corrosive grenade. Sticking the bomb to the heavy armor on the droids chest, he slid between the droid's legs and leapt up onto its back. The silent detonation ate through the droid's armor, but not the delicate machinery within. That was fine with Rex, but the knew the next part would be risky. He flipped over the spider droid's head and grabbed ahold of its neck with one hand. He shoved the other into its chest and grabbed hold of a power conduit. Activating his semblance, he forced the energy given to him by the adrenaline shot into the robots unstable dust reactor. The resulting explosion hurled him off of the train and into a tree, Draining most of his Aura. Despite the pain now wracking his body, Rex couldn't help but smile. He had done it. He was finally free of the White Fang and all of the pain it had brought him. He could finally be free to do what he wished, not what his Father or Adam wanted. He could finally be an effective force for good in the world. Best of all, he never had to watch another friend die in pursuit of an almost lost cause. He thought about his future. The nearest Civilization was Vale, a few miles east of here, and home to the famous Beacon Academy. Where would he go now? Where could someone of his rather unique skill-set go? Why, he would go to Beacon and become a Huntsman of course. All that remained was getting in, though he thought he had a few ideas on that front...

* * *

**Location: White Fang HQ, 2 hours later**

"That's the last time we make the Forever Fall Dust run" Adam growled.

"Sir," one of the two operative that were with him asked "why? It's one of the most profitable runs we have."

"Really? Then why, on both the last two times I've made that run, did we lose two assets more valuable than any of the Dust we've collected? First my partner, and now Rex, who is the role model for all our recruits and the only combat medic we had." Adam was fuming at this point.

"Sir, you can use Rex as a martyr, and Blake..."

"Don't even say her name to me. I trusted her, and she betrayed me."

"Yes Sir. I'll inform the men that there will be no more raids on the Forever Fall line."

"Good, now leave me."

The operatives left the room, leaving Adam with his thoughts.

"Serves me right for trying that run again so soon..."

* * *

**A/N:**

**And that's all she wrote. **

**Well guys hoped you liked the latest chapter. only two more of these "trailers" and then we'll get into the meat of the story. I'm really excited about it and I hope anyone who reads my stuff might be as well. Reviews are welcome as I really want to know how to make this story enjoyable for the community.**

**See you all next time on Of Titans and Gemstones, where we will meet the Niko, the resident Dust manipulator.**

**Darkmatt3r signing off.**

**P.S.: Rex's weapon details:**

**Name: Scorpio's Sting**

**Class: B.H.M.G (Bludgeoning Heavy Machine Gun)**

**Description: Melee form is a long black bat, with a narrow handle and a large, semi-cylindrical head. The head has stripes on opposite sides to display what color of Dust is currently loaded. The H.M.G. form consists of a long barrel with muzzle brake (formerly the handle) and the semi-cylindrical head becoming the body of the weapon and two sides with the stripes dropping below to protect the now under-slung Dust/Ammo carrier, revealing the shell-ejection port in the process. The grips for the weapon rest behind and above the barrel for the foregrip and directly behind the body for the main grip.**

**Extra function: Can release the dust used to enhance the the machine gun rounds to splash out of the head in bat mode. This allows the user to imbue their strikes with nature's wrath and thus leave harmful residues on their targets.**

**Interesting note: This weapon is also quite useful as a sports equipment, particularly for the sports of baseball and cricket**

**Semblance: Energy Transfer: Not much is known about this semblance, as it is rather rare in humans. However, those who are known to possess it are capable of transferring biochemical energy to a target in either the form of biochemical energy, or electricity. Rex Scorpio has discovered from his own personal use that the energy used to power plasma weaponry can be transferred to the users own reserves. it is unknown whether other forms of energy may be absorbed and transferred or not.**


	3. Chapter 3: Ice Make Ax

**A/N:**

**Hey Guys, I'm back with next chapter of "Of Titans And Gemstones". So this time we get meet Niko, a man too poor to afford weapons but with his semblance, he doesn't need 'em, just a bit of dust. I'm also really excited for the chapter following this one, where we meet Sam Rios, the rough Co-heiress to a mercenary company who is unlike our beloved snow angel Weiss in almost every way except that they are both badasses.**

**enough of my rambling though, you're here for the story, so lets get to it.**

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own RWBY, That badassery is the property of Roosterteeth**

**These OC's are mine, and may be used by anyone who asks**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Ice Make Ax**

**Location: Underground fight club, Vale**

"Hello Ladies and Gentlemen, and welcome to the Vale fight club Friday Night Fights!" An announcer came over the loudspeaker.

"Tonight we have a very special set of brawls coming up in our no holds barred and weapons allowed arena! to begin we'll start it off with..." He droned on as the fights began.

Niko made his way through the cheering crowd and over to the sign up booth.

"Got any open matches?" he asked the bookie in the booth.

"We got an opener slot vs The Sloth King but that's it."

"Come on, you've gotta have better than that."

"Well, no one's challenged Mr. Hammer in a while..." The man mused.

"Put me in for it." Niko immediately replied.

"Seriously? I don't even know who you are, but I guess it's your funeral. that'll be 50 lien." The bookie said, holding out his hand

Niko handed the man 40. "Alright, here's what I got, you can have the rest when I win. And the name's Niko, by the way." He walked off smirking, recognition dawning on the Bookie's face.

"Mr. Hammer? how hard could it be."

Niko watched with interest as the night went on. The match that interested him the most was one where he saw a gorgeous blonde beat a man senseless with her shotgun gauntlets. He thought that the temp in the room increased during the fight but he wasn't sure.

Finally as the night was about to end his match was called up.

"And to finish things off for you fine folks we have an interesting match. Someone has challenged Mr. Hammer to a bout and to top it off, they are a relatively new face in the fighting scene. His name is Niko and he's never lost a fight. But then again, neither has Mr. Hammer! So enjoy this final fight and don't forget to come back next week!" With that the announcer walked away leaving room for Niko to enter the arena.

As he entered, Niko flung away his overcoat, leaving him in nothing but his blue jeans and his bandoleer of Dust crystals. His upper body was well muscled and lightly tanned, giving him a striking figure. But what really drew attention were the scars. Growing up on the streets, he hadn't had it easy, and while none of the scars were very big, they crisscrossed all over his chest and back. Most of them were from scraps he had gotten in before he had his aura unlocked and the rest came from some of his closer matches in the arena. After he had made his entrance, Mr. Hammer did the same.

The man was huge, probably 7 feet tall and heavily muscled with far more scars than Niko had. Over his shoulder rested a massive hammer, made of pure steel and infused with gravity dust to give it extra weight. Well, that's where his name came from, that's for sure. Niko smiled. This was going to be a challenge. He liked challenges.

"Fighters ready, Begin!"

Now it got fun. Niko's grin widened as he pull out two crystals from his repertoire. Burn and ice, his favorite starter combo. He channeled his aura before crushing the crystals in his hands, drawing gasps from those who weren't familiar to his fighting style. Two combat axes suddenly materialized into his hands, one of ice and one of fire. Mr. Hammer grinned at this, and raised his hammer for combat. As he swung at Niko, the younger man raised his axes in an X, the fire ax positioned in front of the ice ax. This blocked the strike, then Niko slashed through the haft of the hammer, the flames splitting and reforming on the other side as he slashed across Mr. Hammer's chest and released the flames to burn as they saw fit. This put a hefty drain on Mr. Hammer's Aura, but the man's reserves were impressive, so the attack did little to phase him. he drew his namesake back for another go, only to have Niko throw his other ax into his chest. This still did not stagger the older man, so his swing continued forward and Niko barely slid past the brunt of the blow, choosing to block the handle with his bare arm instead of taking the full force of the hit.

The blow still shook him, so he changed his tactics. Grabbing a yellow dust crystal out of his bandoleer, he formed into a crackling shield and used another ice crystal to form a sword. When Mr. Hammer's next attack came, he was ready. He placed his shield in front of the hammer's head and the force numbed his arm slightly, But not near as much as the Shocking surprise in store for Mr. Hammer. There was a second after the strike where Niko swore he could see the mans skeleton, but then the fight was back on, with Niko taking the initiative to slice at Mr. Hammer with his sword. Hammer was quick to respond, striking again and hitting Niko's sword with the head of his hammer, shattering it. Niko just kept on grinning, his shield taking on the form of a javelin which he quickly threw at Mr. Hammer, shaking him up a bit.

It continued like this for some time, Niko slowly whittling the larger man down, the bigger man never able to land a big hit. Well, he wasn't gonna take it any more. Pulling a pistol from his belt, Mr. Hammer fired at Niko's bandoleer, hitting a burn crystal. What came next was a big surprise to all and a huge crowd-pleaser.

Niko's Aura glowed pitch black around him as he fought for control of the primal explosion. During this, Mr. Hammer came up to try and land a finishing blow. Niko saw this and only fought harder. He crushed the fire between his palms and then grabbed ahold of the massive hammer releasing the heat into the dust infused metal. Gravity dust increases density while stable, but when heated or other wise agitated, it can yield explosive results, and today was no exception. the hammer exploded, but Niko was unaffected. Channeling all the aura available to him, he forced the gravity dust's energy to be directed at Mr. Hammer, and therefore, directing the shrapnel at him as well. The ensuing shotgun blast deafened many in the arena's viewing area, but all began to cheer. Mr. Hammer was laying on the ground in a smoking heap.

"And Mr. Hammer has been defeated in an amazing turnaround by Niko, giving our proud club a new champion. Everyone in the house, Let's give it up for Niko!"

As the announcer was giving his speech, Niko walked over to the huge man struggling to get off the ground and offered him his hand. The big man accepted it and Niko helped pull him to his feet. They both smiled Mr. Hammer saying his congratulations.

"That was on hell of a fight, kid. Probably the toughest I've ever had. You did good, kid, you did good."

"You did good yourself, big man. I thought you had me with that shot at my burn crystal."

"That was a cheap shot, I'll admit it, and I probably wouldn't been satisfied if you had gone down because of it."

"Well, all in all, I had fun, and I hope you can say the same."

"Fun? Please, I was terrified the moment you turned the energy from crushing a burn crystal into a tangible weapon, and an unblock-able one at that."

The two walked out of the arena, laughing like old friends, and went to give the bookie the 10 lien Niko still owed him...

* * *

**Location: Niko's apartment, Vale, 1 hour later**

As he counted his winnings from his previous four fights, Niko almost jumped for joy. He had enough. Finally, after all this time on the streets, he could go and get himself and education and finally make a name for himself outside the underground fighting circuits. He dug through his things and found his Beacon acceptance letter and called the number on the envelope.

"Hello, Professor Goodwitch speaking" came the voice from the other end of the line.

"Hello Professor, This is Niko, I was just calling to tell you that I finally collected enough money to pay Beacon's Tuition and that I would be honored to attend."

"Well, it seems that Professor Ozpin has accepted your application, so if you now have the money available, then on behalf of the faculty I congratulate you on your acceptance, We all look forward to seeing you next week Mr.?"

"It's just Niko, I'm an orphan who never got adopted."

"My apologies. see you next week Mr. Niko."

The line went dead.

He had done it. Now his dreams could finally come true...

* * *

**A/N:**

**And another one bites the dust.**

**That was a really fun chapter to write, albeit a short one. so I got really excited after getting chapter two out so I decided two write this one all in one go with no pre-writing so tell me how y'all thought it went. as always, reviews are welcome so I can make it more enjoyable for my readers.**

**Thanks for reading guys, and next time we'll meet Sam, the heiress WITHOUT an attitude (a bad attitude I mean).**

**Darkmatt3r signing off.**

**P.S. Niko's Semblance:**

**Dust Manipulation: This is a fairly recent Semblance, only appearing after man's discovery of dust, and even then, only appearing in the family lines of those who frequently work with it. This may hint to Aura being an evolutionary concept, protecting its users by giving them powers that fit what they have available. This rare semblance allows it's user to either direct the path of or control the form of unstable dust. This allows the user to create tangible weapons out of intangible elements such as fire or lightning, and also allows the use of Gravity Dust as a sort of shotgun blast or as long range beem when used in combination with Movement Dust.**


	4. Chapter 4: Aggro and Overkill

**A/N:**

**Hey Guys, I'm back with more Of Titans and Gemstones. This time we'll meet Sam and Ellie, the two Co-heiresses to a mercenary company. and after that we'll finally jump into the RWBY-verse, and at that point chapters should start to flow smoother with the abundance of source material available. Up to this point, except for chapter two and parts of chapter one, I've been making it up as I go. **

**but enough of my rambling, you're here for the story, so here it is**

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own RWBY, that awesomesauce is the property of Roosterteeth**

**"Blow me away" is the property of Breaking Benjamin, please don't report me for throwing it in here**

**the OC's in this story are mine, and may be used by anyone who asks.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Aggro and Overkill**

**Location: Warehouse owned by Roman Torchwick, Vale**

Sam stood outside the door of the warehouse, checking over the job last time.

It was simple, really. She and her partner had been hired to raid a heavily guarded warehouse. Not to take anything, but to cause one hell of a distraction so that her employer could do what they wanted unhindered. Whatever that was, Sam had no clue. Nor did she care, She was being paid to do her favorite thing, fighting alongside her partner with no objective but to take down as many of the enemy as needed. Excited, but wanting to be prepared, she checked over her gear.

Armored mask with HUD? Check.

Twin ax pistols and extra mags? Check.

Assault shotgun and extra shells? Check.

'Nades? Check.

Satisfied she had everything she needed to kick these thugs' asses, she put on her mask, a custom job with a golden skull embossed on the black surface, leaving her slate-grey eyes the only thing visible, and nodded to her raven-haired partner, Ellie, to do the same. Ellie pulled on her own mask, hers having flames running along the sides, and readied Brutus, an unholy combination of a machine gun and glaive known as a "knifle".

With everything ready, Sam gave the signal to breach.

**-Cue song: Blow me away by Breaking Benjamin-**

Ellie slammed through the door and slashed the nearest black-suited guard in the knee before shooting him the in the head, drawing the attention of the other guards while Sam moved to flank them, drawing her black-and-gold ax pistols, Skoll and Hati, as she went.

**They fall in line**

**One at a time**

**Ready to play**

**(I can't see them anyway)**

Ellie continued to draw the fire of Torchwick's men, her silver aura shining like a beacon while she flitted about the battlefield. Her blink semblance only added to the chaos she was causing, enabling her to deliver a flurry of slices with Brutus on one side of the room and in the same instant fire off a flurry of incendiary rounds at a group on the other side. Sam smirked as her partner's wild fighting style threw off the guards' concentration, all while she waited for their collective backs to be turned her way.

**No time to lose**

**We've got to move**

**Steady your helm**

**(I am losing sight again)**

Finally, the moment revealed itself during a daring move by Ellie. She heaved Brutus at the nearest grouping of thugs with all her might, Blinking out while the blades cleaved through her opposition and reappearing on the other side to catch Brutus, leaving every single thug's back turned to black-clad Berserker waiting in the shadows behind them. With a cry of "Banzai!", Sam dove into the fray, hacking into the surprised men in front of her with extreme ferocity.

**Fire your guns**

**It's Time to Run**

**Blow me away**

Sam was like a raging river, cutting her path through the battlefield with skill and precision. Skoll and Hati cleaved flesh and bit into bone with every swing. Every time one of her axes appeared to be stuck, she fired a round of to loosen it, often striking another target in the process. Her fighting style, while less chaos inducing than Ellie's, was far more frightening than anything the men had fought before. Thugs began to back away from the Skull-faced berserker, only to be reminded that there was still a threat behind them as Brutus began to go back to work.

**(I will stay, in the mess I made)**

**After the fall**

**We'll shake it off**

**Show me the way**

Now that the crowd around her started to thin, Sam switched from her axes to Odin. It was a long spear with a black haft with gold detailing and a golden point. She began blocking strikes with the haft, pointing the butt of the spear at her opponent's feet before squeezing a hidden trigger. The resulting shotgun blast blew the thug off of his feet while beginning Sam's dance of death, spinning her into a strike on the thug behind her. The dance continued for some time, Sam firing off shots to take down attackers while spinning her into another stab or slash. Eventually, Sam and Ellie met up back to back in the middle of the room, surrounded by the bodies of their foes. They both knew they had to hold out for another four or so minutes and that this lull wouldn't last long. Ellie reloaded Brutus while Sam latched Skoll and Hati to the head of Odin to form a battleaxe with gun barrels on both ends. Just as they finished preparations, a new wave of guards came at them from all sides and both girls were ready to dish out the pain.

**Only the strongest will survive**

**Lead me to heaven, when we die**

**I am the shadow on the wall**

**I'll be the one to save us all**

The two partners back to back was an amazing sight to witness, covering each other's flanks and becoming nigh untouchable. Brutus was a whirl of doom, slicing so unpredictably that no-one knew where the next strike would come from, but it always fell in such a way that Sam's flank would be protected. Sam, along with her battleaxe Fenrir, smashed the enemy lines with reckless abandon, firing shells and bullets into the crowd to catch those who didn't enter the ax's embrace. When a clump of thugs got too close, Ellie blinked into air and rained fire down while Sam swept Fenrir in a circle to get some breathing room. Sam checked a small display on the inside of her mask, the small screen informing her of the client's success in whatever endeavor she had been hired to cover for. Knowing it was time to pull out, Sam gave Ellie the signal and the raven haired girl disappeared in a silver flash, leaving Sam to remove the remaining opposition with extreme prejudice.

**You wanted it back**

**DON'T MAKE ME MAD!**

Activating her Semblance, Sam became ensconced in a golden shimmer and Fenrir's blades became an angry red. Sam slammed Fenrir's blade into the nearest Thug, causing a crimson flash as the weapon struck with literally explosive force, propelling the man backwards into his fellows. She began to cleave through the crowds of remaining enemies with ease, eliminating whole groups of them with a single explosive swing from Fenrir. Her Aura was always active in this state, lest the explosions she create harm her as well as her targets, so the meager attempts of the thugs to retaliate could be shrugged off while she incapacitated all of the remaining thugs.

**Only the strongest will survive**

**Lead me to heaven, when we die**

**I am the shadow on the wall**

**I'll be the one to save us all**

**(...save us all)**

**-End Song-**

Sam stood in the middle of the warehouse, panting lightly with her eyes betraying the smile beneath her mask. Ellie blinked back into the room, placing a hand on her partner's shoulder to get her attention.

"Well, Sam, you overdid it again. Thankfully we aren't responsible for property damages done to criminal organizations." Ellie deadpanned

Indeed, the warehouse was in shambles. Bodies, both dead and unconscious, littered every nook and cranny of the building. There was one even hanging from a ceiling fan, one of the few intact pieces of scenery in the room. The shelves and what had once been stored on them were piles of rubble, only the metal poles and plates sticking out to identify their former use.

"Yeah, but the job clearly said to raise hell until the client got what they were after." Sam replied, shrugging.

"No, it said to distract the guards, not maim-slash-kill them." Ellie said with a small chuckle

"Eh, I'll still get paid, and so will you, so stop complaining and lets go report our success to the bosses."

The two girls holstered their weapons and left through the front door, cracking jokes at each other as they went.

* * *

**Location: Warehouse owned by Roman Torchwick, Vale**

**4 hours later:**

The guard groaned and struggled to rise. When he finally regained his footing, he took in the devastation that those two mercs had caused. Shaking his head in disbelief, he pulled out his scroll and dialed the number of Roman Torchwick, all the while mumbling to himself:

"The boss ain't ever gonna believe this..."

* * *

**And that's all she wrote!**

**Sorry for the long time between updates, scholarship essays and college applications are no fun and I haven't had the time to work on this, but I'm back now!**

**Now we are finally through all of the trailers and can move into KRNS's time at Beacon.**

**I am really excited about this, because I've been coming up with all sorts of ways for my OC's and the existing RWBY characters to interact, and i'm going to have a lot of fun writing them.**

**Thanks for reading, and remember that reviews are always welcome!**

**Darkmatt3r signing off**

**P.S. Lots of Weapons in this chapter**

**Sam: **

**Name: Skoll and Hati**

**Class: Twin M-C.A.P.'s (Medium-Caliber Ax Pistol)**

**Description: Twin axes with a black-and-gold color scheme. They have a flintlock-style grip to allow for easy throwing and firing of the weapon.**

**Extra Functions: Have a latch system on their backs to allow them to link with Sam's spear, Odin**

**Interesting notes: Sam isn't really a fan of shooting things, so she really only uses the pistol function when she need a little extra tug to get her weapon unstuck from an enemies corpse.**

**Name: Odin**

**Class: R.O.S.S. (Recoil Operated Shotgun Spear)  
**

**Description: A Black-and-gold spear whose haft is made out of a semi-auto shotgun**

**Extra functions: two link systems on either side of the head allow for attachment of Skoll and Hati to form a Battleaxe**

**Interesting notes: Again, Sam isn't into shooting, so she uses the shotgun to give her attacks a little extra 'oomph'**

**Name: Fenrir**

**Class: D.E.G.B (Double Ended Gun Battleaxe)**

**Description: A Black-and-gold Battleaxe with two .45 ACP barrels at it's head and a 12-guage shotgun at it's bottom**

**Extra functions: very good at killing**

**Interesting notes: Sam fires at least one of the barrels on this thing with every swing, it's intended to increase strike speed, but has the side effect of filling the air with bullets.**

**Semblance: Overkill: Allows the user to channel their aura into their weapon for very explosive results. Whenever the charged weapon strikes, an outward burst of Aura accompanies the force of the strike, creating micro detonations. The user's Aura goes into overdrive while this Semblance is active, enveloping their body in a shimmering shield to protect them from their own explosiveness, with the annoying side-effect of becoming very visible to the enemy.**

**Ellie:**

**Name: Brutus**

**Class: KN-FL (KNife riFLe) (Ellie was the first to create a weapon as depraved as this, so the classification system malfunctioned, giving it a name using its two most basic characteristics**

**Description: (Think Brute shot) An automatic rifle combined with the blade of a large glaive, both attached to a central circular handle that makes for easy throwing and slashing. **

**Extra functions: Surprisingly aerodynamic. Ellie also like to use incendiary rounds with Brutus  
**

**Interesting notes: Ellie loves to throw Brutus and then Teleport into its path to catch it. She has yet to gut herself in this manner, somehow.**

**Semblance: Blink: Allows the user to Teleport, or "Blink" short distances. not particularly stealthy, as the user emits a bright flash of Aura when they both disappear and re-appear.**


	5. Chapter 5: Journey's Beginning

**AN:**

**Hello all, and welcome to another chapter of "Of Titans and Gemstones". A few things to start with: Yes, Ellie's weapon Brutus is a Brute-Shot-machine-gun and "Knifle" is a reference to RvB season 9. And yes, Sam and Ellie are also mercs alongside being huntresses in training, their motivation will be explained later. And i probably watched a bit too much Fairy Tail while creating Niko, because he basically uses maker magic like Gray, but with controlling unstable dust instead of giving internal magic energy a physical form.**

**Oh, and the new cover for the story is Sam's emblem, which I made as a quick job in paint. I have also completed Konor's and will upload a new cover as soon as I make Rex's and Niko's, though I honestly have no idea what his emblem would be anyways so that might be a while...**

**but enough of my rambling, you're here for the story, so let's get to it!**

**Disclaimer:**

**I Do not own RWBY, That awesomesauce is the property of Monty Oum and RT**

**I also do not own Army of Two or Borderlands**

**The OC's in this story are mine and may be used by anyone who asks**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Journey's Beginning**

**Location: Airship docks, Vale**

A young man stood waiting near the gate for the Beacon airship, a black duffel bag slung over his shoulder. The man had spiky black hair and his face was the very image of mischief, his green eyes ever-sparkling and the corners of his mouth always tugging upwards into a small smirk. He wore a black long sleeve shirt with the right sleeve removed, gray armor plating affixed to the fabric on his torso and left arm. His uncovered right arm had a small selection of scars on it, but what really drew the eye were the ten silver studs embedded into his skin, forming a linear pattern beginning at his shoulder and terminating at his wrist. On each hand he had a black leather glove, the knuckles and back of the hand of said gloves have emerald-green metal plates attached to them. The pants he chose to wear that day were a gray camouflage pattern with metal knee-pads sewn into the pants themselves. Adorning his feet were black combat boots with a steel plate covering the toe. Sticking out of the duffel was a black-and-green mask, the right side being black with no eye-hole, and the left having the same emerald-green as his gloves and hole for him to see out of. Some people unfamiliar with where the man was going would often ask them selves why such a young man was so heavily armored and most likely just as heavily armed.

The answer? Konor Cog was on his way to Beacon, and he wanted to be prepared for anything.

* * *

A second man with dark skin and of the same age as the first wandered the concourse at the port, looking for a possible souvenir of Vale, the city he had spent the last few months in. Many in the area disdained the man for the symbol on the back of his deep blue duster. It was a circle about a wolf's head baring one of its fangs, all in white and very large on his back, painting a target for discrimination. For this was the symbol of the White Fang. No, not the terrorist group it is today, but the peaceful Faunus civil rights group it had been in the past, before its founder had stepped down and was subsequently assassinated. But no man, despite his hatred of the Faunus, would accost the one wearing this symbol today. One reason was the scraped and dented riot armor under his duster and the strange looking, but obviously Dust-powered, bat at his side, giving the message that he was ready and willing to defend himself. Second was the beret on his head, which was emblazoned with a stylized red lance, signifying some connection to the Crimson Lance, a mercenary group of no small renown from Atlas. They were known to protect their own and made very bad enemies. But the main, and probably most infuriating for the people who though ill of this man, reason was the small ID badge clipped to the duster. It pictured a wolf Faunus with short brown hair and dark brown eyes.

The tag proclaimed to the world that its wearer, one Rex Scorpio, would be attending Beacon Academy at the personal request of Headmaster Ozpin himself. And when the headmaster of the best combat school in Remnant wants something, no one wants to stand in his way.

* * *

Up against the wall near the Beacon airship gate, A third young man sat relaxing and waiting for his ride. out of all the people at that particular gate, he was the only one that did not appear ready to go to war. On his feet, he wore simple black and white sneakers, his legs were clad in ordinary blue jeans, and a black overcoat with grey fur trim topped off the ensemble. His ears were covered by black headphones, and his ice blue eyes looked out from below his somewhat scruffy scarlet hair. This man was far from harmless, however. Beneath the overcoat were two crossed bandoleers carrying dust crystals of every variety. Scanning the crowd, he was looking for something to spark his interest and get him of his ass and into his new adventure. He didn't have to wait long. A buxom blonde walked by, followed by a shorter, red-haired girl whose cloak made her look very similar to little red riding hood. The young man thought he recognized the blonde, but wasn't sure from where. The crimsonette said something to the blonde and her lilac eyes widened in what may have been fear. She quickly expanded her bracelets into gauntlets, and proceeded to remove all the shotgun shells from her weapons and store them in a pouch on her back.

Wait... Shotgun shells?

"Oi, Blondie!" The man yelled, waving his hands to get her attention. The girl pointed at herself with a questioning look, he nodded and she came over.

"You at Friday Night Fights last week?" he questions.

"Maybe, why?"

"Well if it was you that I remember, I wanted to say I enjoyed watching you fight. The name's Niko, and I was just wondering if I would be seeing a somewhat familiar face around Beacon."

"Wait, Niko as in Niko-who-beat-Mr.-Hammer-by-blowing-his-own-hammer-up-in-his-face Niko?" She said almost squealing with delight

"Yeah, that's me. So what's your name Blondie? Or am I gonna have to keep calling you that?" Niko replies, smirking slightly. He was going enjoy this.

* * *

"Sam, hurry up! We're gonna be late!" A raven-haired girl whines to her golden-haired friend.

These two girls probably stuck out the most in the crowd, even among the combat school students in the port. They both wore full combat gear, consisting of fully armor plated tac-vests, shoulder plating, knee plating, elbow plating etc... These two girls looked ready for war. From their belts hung custom combat masks, The ravenette's having flames running along its sides and the blonde's having a golden skull embossed on hers. The fearsome look was on enhanced by the weapons the had holstered. The Blonde had twin black-and-gold war-axes holstered at her hips, empty mag-wells on the handle suggesting an additional function. Her back held a short spear of the same color scheme as the axes, the latch mechanisms near the head hinting to a link capability of some sort. On the black haired girl's back was a fearsome combo of a glaive and a machine gun, with a circular area surrounding the grip which the blade wrapped around slightly before quickly curving back outwards and tapering to a sharp point, indicating it was designed to be a purely lethal weapon. One would have never guessed that these two girls were actually co-heiresses to a multi-billion lien company, and not two mercs looking for a fight. Well, you could say they are mercs, as the multi-billion lien company was none other than the T.W.O. mercenary group, the most successful merc group this side of Remnant. One of their teams could take on an entire cartel hit-squad without breaking a sweat, and each team consists of only two men.

"Really? I think we're making fine time. And if we have an issue, you can just blink us over to the gate easy-peasy." The blonde, Sam, replies casually

_"The airship to Beacon Academy will be boarding in five minutes." _came over the intercom

"Shit, Ellie, we gotta move!" Sam's attitude making an instant turnaround

"But I thought we were making 'fine time'." The raventte's, Ellie, voice oozing sarcasm

"Dammit Ellie, now is not the time for one of your jokes! I will not be late because of you"

"Yeah, yeah. Now get me a better view so I can see where I'm teleporting."

Sam lifts Ellie onto her shoulders and the ravenette activates her semblance.

Needless to say, pandemonium ensues.

* * *

**Huzzah! First non-trailer chapter is done!**

**And before anyone says anything, the Crimson Lance will not be a major part of this story. they are only in the background. **

**Also, Ellie and Sam's armors are very similar to Salem and Rios's armors in the first Army of Two, only a lot lighter and less bulky, 'cause they're teenage girls, not 30 year old men.**

**And Niko's clothes look a lot like Laxus's from Fairy Tail, except he actually uses the sleeves on his coat and doesn't act like a dick until beaten to an inch of his life.**

**And while we are on the subject of clothes, Rex's armor looks very much like NCR veteran ranger armor from Fallout: NV, but with a blue duster**

**And for Konor's mask, Think Deathstroke, but black and green. I'll leave the exact look of the armor to your imagination, as I'm still not sure how it looks myself...**

**Aaaannndd I'm rambling again, see y'all next time!**

**Darkmatt3r signing off**


	6. Chapter 6: Transit

**AN:**

**Hello all! Welcome to another chapter of "Of Titans and Gemstones"! Today we will hopefully have some plot progression and not me giving detailed character descriptions because I forgot to in the trailers! I mean seriously, I came up with Niko's hair color five minutes before I submitted Chapter 5. so yeah, these guys are a little ramshackle. It probably doesn't help that I don't have anyone to help edit either...**

**So yeah, any input from you guys reading this is definitely appreciated, 'cause I do all of my chapters in one or two sittings with a bit of editing before I post, so I have no clue if this is any good or not...**

**Aaaannnd I'm rambling again...**

**So enough of that, y'all are here for the story, so let's dive on in!**

**Disclaimer:**

**I sadly do not own RWBY or any of the other franchises I reference in this Fic, They belong to RT and their respective producers.**

**I do own the OC's in this story, and anyone who asks politely may use them.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Transit**

**Location: Airship en-route to Beacon, skies above Vale**

"So you're telling me that this girl is your kid sister, and that she skipped two grades and wields a giant scythe bigger than I am?!" Niko exclaimed, not sure whether he was being called short (he wasn't) or the scythe was just that big (it was).

"Yep! I'm so proud of her!" Yang replies, crushing Ruby in one of her signature bear hugs.

"Yang, please stop, I can't breathe." Ruby wheezes as she struggles to get out of the hug.

"I gotta admit it, I'm impressed." The read-headed boy replies as Yang releases Ruby, leaving the younger girl gasping for air.

Recovering from her sister's vice-like grip, Ruby decided to change the topic to one she was more comfortable with: weapons.

"So," She says while unfurling Crescent Rose, "This is Crescent Rose, my sweetheart. She's a high caliber sniper scythe (HCSS) and I've got mad skills with her. You've already seen Yang's shot gauntlets, Ember Celica. Now that you've met both of our weapons would you mind showing us yours?"

"Well, um, this might be slightly embarrassing, but, money's always been a little tight so I don't actually have one..." Niko replies while rubbing the back of his head, an embarrassed grin on his face.

Ruby's jaw drops. "So you got in without even having a weapon?! Can you like, karate chop people and stuff?"

Niko chuckles, embarrassment fading. "No, I don't do karate. I fight by using my semblance: Dust Manipulation."

Slightly confused, the crimsonette asks: "so you can tell it what to do? like make fire turn into a dragon?"

"Sort of. I can either command the form of destabilized dust or direct the path in which it moves. Here, I'll show you." Reaching under his coat, Niko pulls an ice crystal from his bandoleer and begins to channel his aura.

"Now when I crush this crystal, it will produce an ax, which could be considered my weapon." Closing his hand into a tight fist, a black light ensconces it briefly, fading as an ax made of shimmering ice takes shape.

"Wow, that's really cool." Ruby looks over at at her surprisingly silent sister. "Yang, how are you not impressed by this? It's awesome!"

Before Yang can defend herself, Niko cuts in. "Ruby, Yang has already seen me fight, so she isn't surprised like you are. She's probably being quiet to allow you get to know someone here other than her." he looks to Yang. "Right?"

Yang nods, slightly shocked by his easy read of her. "How'd you guess?"

Niko shrugs "It's a gift."

* * *

Elsewhere on the ship, a green-eyed boy is struggling to contain his laughter after the tale his friends just told him.

"You mean you used your semblance in the crowded concourse of an airship dock?" Konor asks incredulously.

"Really, we were gonna be late otherwise!" Sam weakly gives as defense, seeing as how they were actually the first to board despite their late arrival at the port.

"Konor, you need to stop being so critical of us, we might just stop hanging around you." Ellie tries to warn the boy, but the twinkle in her red eyes defeats her somewhat-scolding air.

This only causes the boy to laugh more. "Please, Yang would be heartbroken if you two left our little group and she would never let you kick her sparring buddy out, so you're stuck with me."

"Why do you think we care about what Yang wants?" Ellie, obviously the argumentative one, tries to get the last word in.

"Because we do?" Sam instantly destroys her partner's stance by reminding her of how tight-knit the group is and how loyal the two girls are to their friends, even the annoying ones.

"Well that and she'd probably beat the crap outta someone if they didn't give her what they want." Konor continues to chuckle, the corners of his mouth rising higher than his customary smirk.

"That too." Sam agrees, a grin appearing on her face as well.

"On that note, where is Yang?" Ellie asks, not knowing that her question is about to be answered.

Suddenly, a commotion ensues on the other side of the ship as a blonde man in armor proceeds to puke on the shoes of one Yang Xaio Long. The two people accompanying her, a redheaded boy who none of the trio recognized and a short girl with a red cloak that seemed suspiciously familiar and out of place at the same time, backed away slightly and Yang's hair was slightly aglow. The redheaded boy, realizing that his blonde compatriot was likely in danger, led the armored boy to the nearest restroom while little red attempted to placate the angry Yang and, surprisingly enough, succeeding.

"Wow," Konor's eyes are wide, in awe of the shorter girl, "She actually calmed Yang down."

The two mercs were in similar states, as they thought no one was able to so easily calm a raging Yang.

"Well it's probably because he only puked on her shoes, if that stuff had touched her hair, Beacon's class size would have gotten a lot smaller" Sam replies, grimacing at the thought.

"Yeah, losing all that students from Vale due to one boy's motion sickness, now that would be a tale for the kids."

"Too bad none of us would ever have kids to tell it to" Ellie deadpans, and the three break into open laughter, making light of their friend's destructive temper and love of her hair.

* * *

Rex was bored.

Here he was on his way to a new life at the best combat school in Remnant, and all he currently felt was bored.

It was mostly his own fault. People aren't very accepting of the White Fang, even their original incarnation as a protest group, and wearing their symbol on his back drove off most people that he might find enjoyment talking to, even his fellow faunus. Sure there was that one Valkyrie girl and her quiet friend, but she mostly asked him a bunch of annoying questions and when the displeasure became evident on his face, the quiet one apologized for her and dragged her off with him. As annoyed as he had been with the girl, annoyance was better than boredom, and he actually might have liked to converse with the quiet boy who accompanied her. As it was he was stuck with staring out at the beautiful view from the ship.

It really was a nice view, but Rex just wanted something to do other than stare out a window. Mostly because it gave him to much time to think, and his thoughts easily ventured to the group whose symbol he wore on his back. At least with the White Fang he always had people to talk to who wouldn't judge him for what he was...

No.

Rex shook his head to clear it. He had made his choice, and he didn't regret it one bit. He was bored, and rightfully so. He hadn't had either a good chat with a person or a good fight against anything since he left. But he knew things would look up soon. He had heard that at Beacon, each student was a member of a team of four, and that team stayed together for the duration of Beacon, and beyond, if the members so wished. He knew that in such a group, he could finally find acceptance among humans, as those who fought together, stayed together. It was something his father had taught him, and the beret on his head was proof of it. His father had been a member of the Lance, and was respected by all his comrades despite his heritage. They had given him the beret when he left to go start a family and told him that they would always have his back. Rex had never shared a bond like that before, as he had never fought alongside others for the same reasons as them. He had fought to protect his friends, while his friends had fought to further the cause of the White Fang...

"Lovely view, isn't it?" a feminine voice asked from behind him

He hadn't heard her approach, and with his enhanced hearing, that was something. Whoever this girl was, she was a Class-A spook.

"Yeah, it's nice, gets boring to look at after a while though." he says as he turns around.

The girl was quite pretty, with bright golden eyes and long, luxurious black hair that had a cute black bow adorning it. Her hair lay oddly over her back, obviously covering something. She wore a white, sleeveless shirt and a black vest that left her midriff exposed. She had a black sleeve covering her left arm up to her shoulder and her right forearm was wrapped in black ribbon. Rex thought he had seen this ensemble and the girl wearing it before somewhere but he wasn't sure.

"Do I know you?" He asks, a pensive expression appearing on his face.

Her reply is rather cryptic. "You could say that. We both have a common acquaintance we don't get along with." She pauses, and Rex's brow furrows, " But a better question is: aren't you supposed to be dead?"

At that, Rex started to actively sift through his memories trying to find where he knew her from. How had she known who he was? Would she report him to the White Fang? These and more questions whirled through his brain as he slowly pieced it together. Then, the girl shifted in place, obviously expecting an answer. While doing so, he got a glimpse at what she had on her back. It was a broad-bladed sword with an automatic pistol for a hilt. The grip of the pistol was adorned with a stylized image of a deadly nightshade. It all clicked. He was slightly upset he hadn't put it together sooner but that was irrelevant right now. He knew of only one person who looked like that and carried that weapon, and boy was he surprised to see her here of all places.

"Blake!?"

* * *

**Dun Dun Duuunnnn!**

**Well, so much for a large amount of plot happening, but the ball is tarting to roll, and it will definitely pick up speed when we reach initiation.**

**However, school is starting again soon, so updates will come even slower than they already do. Don't give up on me though, as I really am going to keep going and seeing that more people are giving this story a shot really makes me want to keep it up.**

**Also, Thanks to LeoKingoftheZodiac for my first review and favorite! Yipee!**

**Thanks also goes to both Slisor and trisha .ashleysoft for favoriting my story as well.**

**Finally, thanks to all the readers out there that put up with my shenanigans.**

**Reviews are always appreciated and see you all next time on "Of Titans and Gemstones"!**

**Darkmatt3r signing off. **


	7. Chapter 7: The Shining Beacon

**A/N:**

**An I'm back with more "Of Titans and Gemstones". Today, we shall finally set foot on Beacon soil and have more character interaction yay!**

**just as a few notes, character personalities are as follows:**

**Konor: Konor Cog is serious in battle, but loves a good laugh with his friends, either at a good joke or at their expense. Kind and caring by nature, but not the easiest to get along with, he's a natural born leader, and knows just what to say to inspire his comrades. He's also an absolute whiz when it comes to weapons engineering and cybernetics, and a little bit of a dork on the subject, making him the only intellectual in his group of friends. He's also the only guy in said group, but whatever. His closest friends are his sparring buddy Yang, argumentative Ellie, and his BFF Sam.**

**Rex: Rex Scorpio is very introspective, as you guys have seen, but has a sarcastic side. Very respectful of his superiors, even if he hates their guts. Due to being raised by and Ex-mercenary, he has a very military mindset and refers to all his elders/superiors as "Sir" or "Mam". loves a good fight, even if he hates the reasons behind it. extremely loyal to his friends and will go to extreme measure to protect them. Doesn't really know anyone at Beacon, but he has had brief run-ins with Blake during his tenure with the White Fang**

**Niko: Niko is just a very like-able guy. He is easygoing, so much so that he thinks shirts are restrictive and a waste of time. He's very good at reading people and therefore good at getting along with others. loves a challenge and fights to the bitter end if necessary. Grew up poor and on the streets, he didn't really have any friends for long periods of time, so learned to make new ones whenever the opportunity presented itself. He remembers seeing Yang fight at a club the night he finally raised enough money to go to Beacon, but otherwise unfamiliar with the people there.**

**Sam: Samantha "Sam" Rios always tries to keep a cool head, but deadlines and time limits can strain her. ferociously loyal, will never abandon a comrade. very little restraint when it comes to fighting, she's called a berserker for a reason. very tactical minded, but most of her plans have no timeline for completion, so they really only work in battle. She is Ellie's battle-sister, Yang's fellow blonde and Konor's closest friend, and the two (being Konor and Sam) somehow understand each other perfectly despite their different personalities.**

**Ellie: Ellie Salem is the very definition of cunning, but her confrontational nature often makes her seem hotheaded. Like Sam, she is ferociously loyal to her friends, and will often resort to violence to protect them, even from verbal abuse. She is known to cause panic by using her semblance in crowded locations. Being rich has never really affected her or Sam's lifestyle, they both still had to work to get where they are now, and are the heiresses to T.W.O. by merit, not by birth. Despite never having any siblings, she views Sam as her sister and Konor as an annoying brother. Her closest friend other than her sibling-figures is Yang, and the two love to tease their friends whenever they can.**

**Also, check back at the trailers for detailed weapon descriptions for each character. They will be after the ending A/N of those chapters.**

**But enough of my jabber, you're here for the story, so lets get on with it!**

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own RWBY :(**

**I also do not own any of the other franchises I reference in this story**

**I do own my OC's, which may be used by any who ask**

* * *

**Chapter 7: The Shining Beacon**

**Location: Front Entrance, Beacon Academy grounds**

"So you faked your own death to get away from the White Fang?"

Rex and Blake were walking away from the airship after Rex had finished his explanation of why he wasn't dead like everyone believed.

Well, almost everyone

"Yes Blake, I knew I had to get out, and saying goodbye wasn't going to get me anywhere good." Rex says this with a slight smirk on his, face feeling satisfied that he had come up with a better plan than the White Fang's "Black Cat".

"I'll admit, I left in anger, it wasn't really a planned move." Blake replies, shrugging.

Rex, seeing Blake isn't the least bit phased by his jab, changes tack. "He's still pissed about that, you know?"

Blake sighs, a clear sign of her exasperation at his jabs at her. "Well Rex, it's been nice talking to you. I'm just going to find a bench somewhere to sit and read a book. Alone." The raven-haired beauty begins to walk away from the medic, but stops, turns her head back his way and adds: "I hope you'll remember to keep this a secret Rex, as neither of us would like the outcome if it were revealed." The ravenette then continues to saunter away from Rex, looking for a good spot to continue her reading.

Rex sighs and frowns. The first pretty girl he talks to, hell, the first person even, and all she does is ask him how he isn't dead. That, and it was mostly him explaining the last few months and answering the few questions she had after. She didn't even tell him where she had been for the past year since she herself disappeared. He considered that last part just plain rude, since he had given his story to her, she should have given hers to him.

As he thought over this current dilemma, something caught his eye. It was a large luggage cart being pushed by servants.

"Well, that in and of itself is interesting, especially since the only major company based in Vale who would have any interest in Beacon is T.W.O., and anyone from there isn't going to have that much useless stuff with them." So that obviously meant a foreign company. But who?

His question was quickly answered when he made out the symbol on the luggage.

A twelve-pointed snowflake...

"Schnee." Rex growled, angered by seeing the symbol. Those assholes had killed his father, who wasn't even a threat anymore after stepping down from the White Fang. They had taken his family and given Adam the ammo he needed to initiate a shadow war against humanity. Whatever they were doing here, Rex wanted to know. And then he wanted to make their lives F.U.B.A.R.

Crouching down behind some bushes, Rex watched with interest, anger thinly veiled on his face.

"Well, well, what do we have here..."

* * *

"Hey guys, look, I found Yang!" Sam states triumphantly

And sure enough, there she was, talking to the shorter girl from earlier. Konor thought she was actually kinda cute.

All that faded as said girl proceeded to pull out the most complex scythe the trio had ever seen. Even Professor Qrow's couldn't boast such craftsmanship, it was so well made.

Konor immediately began to drool, much to the displeasure of his two companions.

"Really, dude, you gotta stop doing this, it's really embarrassing and bad for our image." Ellie once again scolds Konor for his childishness.

"Konor, I know you love these things, but can't you just be happy with Emerald and drool over something more important?" Sam asks in a kind tone

Ellie, seeing the potential to tease the two BFFs, butts in with, "Yeah, something more important, like Sam over here." The mischievous glimmer in her crimson orbs makes her look like an incarnation of the devil.

Both Sam and Konor whip their heads around to see the ravenette grinning wolfishly, her over-sized canines prominent and removing most of the mirth from her expression.

"WHAT?!" Both the brawler and the berserker yell in unison, incredulous looks on both their faces.

Ellie breaks into open laughter, "Oh my god!, You two are way to easy to tease!" she gasps out in between bouts of cackling.

Konor, a small blush on his face, attempts to brush it off. "Whatever, let's just grab Yang and get to the opening ceremony." Meanwhile Sam glares disapprovingly at her co-heiress.

As the trio approaches their bubbly blonde friend, little red is saying something along the lines of: "Why would I need friends when I have you?"

'That's odd,' Konor thought to himself, 'Why is she treating Yang as if she's family? I know Yang has a sister, but she's to young to attend Beacon, right?'

While Konor is thinking to himself, Yang is trying to find a way out of the girl's awkward question. Seeing her sparring buddy and two mercenary friends behind her she says: "Well actually, my friends are here now, gotta go, catch up, k, see ya, bye!" All in one breath while dragging the surprised trio along with her.

Once they reach the auditorium and Konor's head stops spinning he proceeds to question Yang:

"What the hell was that? Who the hell was that? And why did you just abandon her?"

Yang reaches up to scratch the back of her head and grins sheepishly. "Well, I wanted to catch up with what you guys did over the summer, and it would be a little awkward with Ruby around."

"Well you could have gone about it in a better way." Konor's eyes then go wide. "Wait, did you say Ruby, as in your little sister Ruby?"

"Well.. um... yeah. she kinda sorta got moved to years ahead." Yang's embarrassment continues to grow as she realizes her mistake.

"Why didn't You ever tell me she used a giant Scythle!?" His two merc friends facepalm at how screwed up his priorities are.

"Really Konor, that's all your gonna ask?" Yang now sounds slightly upset.

"Yang, We dated for two years, and never once did you tell me that." Konor, still missing the obvious point of the conversation, continues on his tirade."I mean, I always told you I loved Qrow's scythe, but you never told me your sister had an even cooler one!" At this point his friends sweat-dropped at his dorkiness.

"Konor, you're reminding me of why we broke up." Yang says in a warning tone, her mouth set in a frown.

Konor, still oblivious to the danger he may be in, continues, "Oh, come on, that was completely mutual and you know it. We both agreed after I told you I... Mmph!" Konor finds that he is unable to finish his sentence, as Yang forcefully covers his mouth with her hand.

"Just stop. If you keep putting your foot in your mouth, I may just have to do it for you." despite the threat implied in her sentence, her eyes tell a different story. Instead of the fire of anger blazing in them, her eyes were shifted over towards the two mercs, moving rapidly as if... nervous?

Ellie immediately picks up on this and resolves to ask Yang later, while Sam is still stuck on her best friend's words.

"After you told her you what?" Sam, an edge to her voice, asks her friend, who has now realized his mistake and is looking everywhere but her.

Ellie realizes that this situation may go bad if she doesn't intervene, picks up from before their dork friend stuck his foot in his mouth.

"So your sis got moved ahead two years, huh? that's pretty impressive." Both Konor and Yang look to Ellie with expressions of gratitude plastered on their faces. Sam, on the other hand, looks quite miffed that her almost-sister had prevented Konor from answering her question.

"Yeah, I'm so proud of her, she's gonna do so well!" Yang's trademark grin had reappeared.

Konor had also recovered his mischievous smirk. "Is that why you left her alone on the front lawn? After she asked you 'why would she need friends'?"

Back to embarrassment for Yang, but it was all in good fun as the quartet of fighters all shared what they did over the summer.

* * *

Back with Rex, there is an interesting situation developing between one Schnee heiress and a 15 year old girl.

As much joy as he had felt watching the decidedly bitchy girl be engulfed in an explosion, he felt rather bad fro the girl who was being picked on solely for having been a little clumsy. As he looked for a way to resolve this situation, he spies Blake eyeing a dust vial in her hands. She looks up and spots him through his thin cover and nods first at him, and then at the two girls, the older of which was currently yelling at the obviously sorry younger one.

So as Blake begins to walk toward the two, her fellow Faunus decides to leave his cover and advance as well.

Just as the redhead finishes saying: "Well, I'm sorry, Princess!" Blake puts her plan into action

"It's heiress, actually" She says while tossing the vial of dust over to Rex. "Wiess Schnee, heiress to the largest producers of dust on Remnant."

The white haired girl smirks as if in victory. "Finally, some recognition."

Now it was Rex's turn to have some fun. "The same company that is criticized for its exploitation of the Faunus and its less than savory business partners." He says while pulling off his beret and going into a mock bow. "Rex Scorpio, at your service." His wolf ears twitch on top of his head as he grins ferally, reveling in the mean girl's discomfort.

Sadly this doesn't last long as the angry front comes up once more. "Oh, Scorpio is it, well that reminds me of another of your ilk. He led your bunch of degenerates against my Family's company. Though he never got far. A bullet to the head solved that problem easily. I also heard from my father that his son died on one of our trains a few months ago. You should probably not tell people your last name while stories of its failure still abound."

Rex was shocked. Yes he knew that the girl was no good, but to outright admit that her father had had his killed, and to take credit for his fake death as well? He could see that both Blake and the redhead were shocked at how vehement she was with the condemnation of his family and that being rid of them was a good thing.

"I'll take that," She says as she grabs the vial from his limp hand. "Men, let's go." Her servants immediately grab her luggage cart and begin to push it towards Beacon proper.

When he finally recovered from the heiresses tirade, he stalked off in the direction opposite that he came.

Blake ran off after him with a shout of "Rex!" catching up to him just before he reached the airship.

"Are you alright?" She asks, her tone soft and understanding.

"Do I look all right to you?" He growls, crushing the beret in his hands as his face turns into an ugly snarl. "That Bitch just insulted my father, took credit for both his and my deaths and then proceeded to say that my name was synonymous with failure. Does that sound like O.K. to you?!" He whirls on Blake, his muscular frame towering over her in his rage.

"Rex, Calm down. if you're going to get through life in the outside world, your going to need to do two things. One, wear your beret at all times to hide what you are. Two, keep calm when someone brings up either your death, your father's death, or the Faunus in general. It's the only way I've managed this past year."

Rex slows himself down. He knows he can't let his rage control him, but that white-haired girl had him riled up good. As he slowed his breathing he thought about what his father had taught him. To keep his anger in check, he needed to find some calm in the storm. He thought of the lives he had saved, the friends he had protected, and reminded himself that his name was not worthless. Steeling himself to face the world, he covered his ears with his beret and looked to Blake.

"Alright, I'll give your way a shot." He said, and the two Faunus knew that they were in this together.

* * *

Earlier, right next to the place where the airship dropped the to-be students off, two boys stood. They couldn't have been more different.

One wore armor and carried a sword and shield like a knight, the other did not even deign to wear a shirt under his overcoat. The first was hopelessly motion sick, while the other could have been born at sea for all he knew. The shirtless one was an accomplished fighter, having many titles to his name. The blonde was untested, but thought he *might* have a shot. The only thing these two had in common were the eyes which were both shades of blue. The one currently puking his guts into a trashcan was attended by his scarlet-haired companion. The two had met only a few minutes ago, when the armored one had puked onto the shoes of a fiery blonde. being good at reading people, the redhead had proceeded to escort the boy away once he saw the fire raging in the girl's eyes. Since then, the two had become friends, as both were believers in the philosophy that strangers were just friends you hadn't met yet.

"Alright Jaune, that should be the last of your lunch. How are ya feeling right now?" The redhead asked while hoisting Jaune away from the trashcan.

"Like I just lost my lunch. Thanks for helping me out there Niko." The blonde had a grateful smile on his still somewhat green face. "You didn't have to help back there, so why did you?"

"Well, I've never been able to keep friends very long, so I try my hardest to make new ones wherever I can." The redhead smiles at his new friend, "Already I've made three, and I hope to be able to get along with everyone here."

"Heh, sounds like what my mom always told me. Well, we should probably get moving, so that we're not late."

The two boys walked in companionable silence, both taking in the wonderful sights the school had to offer. This continued until the reached the main courtyard where they witnessed quite the confrontation going down between a Faunus boy wearing riot armor and the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. The Faunus had clearly been taunting her, but her response must have been quite something to make the obvious combat veteran go slack-jawed. Niko knew that the Schnees were awful people, being extremely racist towards Faunus and abusing them as laborers. As upset as he was at the people who ran the company, he still knew that they made fine Dust for a good price, and a man in his position couldn't afford to be choosy.

As the Faunus stormed off, a girl wearing a black bow ran off to catch him. Jaune felt sorry for the boy, seeing him treated badly for being born.

"Maybe we should go after him? See if he's alright?" Jaune asked, concern creeping into his voice.

Niko waved him off, but not in an unkind way. "No, he probably doesn't want to see any humans right now. I'm willing to bet the girl with the large bow is actually a Faunus herself, so he'll respond better to her." He then pointed back towards where the conflict had taken place. "If there is anyone we should check up on, it's that girl over there." Just like he said, there was a girl lying dejectedly on the ground over where the spat had occurred, she had gone unnoticed during the issue concerning the Faunus boy.

"Alright then, I'll go help her up, be right back!" Jaune jogged over to the girl and offered her his hand, pulling her back to her feet.

The two appeared to get along nicely, calling each other nicknames based on their respective incidents and Ruby showing Jaune Crescent Rose. When the two finally got back over to Niko, they were both smiling happily and attempted to introduce the other to the boy who already knew both of them.

"Alright, you two, I already know both of you so no need for introductions there." He chuckled at their confusion, "Ruby, where did Yang go? You were with her on the ship."

"Well, she kinda ran off with her 'friends', but I didn't recognize any of them, so she really just abandoned me..."

"Well Ruby, why don't you, me and Juane here go and find your sister and meet these friends of hers? That sound good to you?" Niko smiled as the young huntress-to-be nodded her head emphatically. "Well alright then gang, lets do this!"

"By the way" Juane spoke softly, "Does anyone know where we are going?"

The resulting groans from his two redheaded friends indicated that, no, they did not know where they were going.

* * *

**Yippee! first 3000+ word chapter. And plot progression, yeah! **

**Well guys I decided that I would give an end of summer gift by writing my longest chapter to date, and what a chapter it was (maybe, you tell me!). So I hoped you all liked it and I will try to push out a chapter every other week, but with school being school, I can make no promises.**

**I gotta admit, this scene sorta inspired the story for me. As you've noticed, Konor, Sam and Ellie are Yang's friends, and part of what inspired that was the random friends that showed up outa nowhere and then never appeared in the show again. So, I created Yang's friends first to fill my curiosity and then Rex and Niko showed up for the ride. Also, you've probably noticed that E is not part of KRNS, However, Ellie will not go meekly into the night, I will add at least one more OC by the end of initiation to fill the role of her partner, but her full team will have to wait a bit. As you can see, There was a lot with Rex and Blake in this chapter, as I want to cement that they are partners in crime to an extent. **

**I am also sorry to all Wiess lovers out there that I made her even more of a bitch, but again, the Chapter was largely Rex oriented, and he has yet to learn how cruel people can be, so I made her flaunt the death of his father, partially because that is probably what she would do to a Faunus who decided to go toe-to-toe with her, but mostly to flesh out Rex some more.**

**And what did Konor Tell Yang?**

**That, and much more shall be revealed eventually on "Of Titans and Gemstones"**


	8. Update: November 17, 2014

**Hey guys, I'm not dead!**

**I have been really busy with school for the past few months, and haven't had the time to get chapter 8 into a state I believe is god enough to post. As such I have been chipping away at it, and also making small edits to the previous chapters as well. So the next few updates will most likely be just edits, but I hope to have the next chapter up by Christmas. **

**Thank you everyone for being patient, I will be back soon!**

**Darkmatt3r, signing off.**


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